


The Hobbit - Drabbles, Prompts, and Miscellaneous

by Bofur1



Series: Drabbles, Prompts, and Misc. [2]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Lord of the Rings (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Baby Dwarves, Comfort/Angst, Cute Kids, Drabbles, Eye Trauma, Family, Fast Food, Fluff and Angst, Growing Up, Hitchhiking, Inspired by Frozen (2013), Learning to Swim, Magical Accidents, Multi, Nervousness, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pregnancy, Spooky, Storytelling, letting go, prompts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-15
Updated: 2014-07-15
Packaged: 2018-01-19 13:24:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 7,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1471426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bofur1/pseuds/Bofur1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is my collection of Hobbit/Lord of the Rings fics and art that won't fit anywhere else. Will range anywhere between major fluff to major angst. Cheers! :)</p><p>Chapt. 1: Fíli & Kíli - Fighting Orcs (FLUFF)<br/>Chapt. 2: Balin & Dwalin - Learning to Swim (FLUFF)<br/>Chapt. 3: Óin & Glóin - Storytelling (FLUFF)<br/>Chapt. 4: Thráin/Malyan - Naming (FLUFF)<br/>Chapt. 5: Sam & The Dwarves - Cliffhanger (SUSPENSE)<br/>Chapt. 6: Nori & Dori - Relief (ANGST)<br/>Chapt. 7: Balin & Dwalin - Growing Up (NOSTALGIA)<br/>Chapt. 8: Dori & Nori & Ori - Hallows Eve (HOLIDAY FLUFF/SUSPENSE)<br/>Chapt. 9: Bifur & Bombur - Goodnight Prayers (FLUFF)<br/>Chapt. 10: Fori/Jalane & Dori - Touching (FLUFF)<br/>Chapt. 11: Nori & Bofur - Unsafe (CROSSOVER ANGST)<br/>Chapt. 12: Dwalin & Thorin - Bootcamp (AU SLICE OF LIFE)<br/>Chapt. 13: Bofur & Bombur - Words (SLICE OF LIFE ANGST)<br/>Chapt. 14: Dís/Dwalin - Hitchhiking (SLICE OF LIFE)<br/>Chapt. 15: Legolas & Gimli - A Request (NOSTALGIA)<br/>Chapt. 16: Nori & Cellanar - Sight (SLICE OF LIFE NOSTALGIA)<br/>Chapt. 17: Nori - Longing (SLICE OF LIFE NOSTALGIA)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fili & Kili - Fighting Orcs

“Fee! Look, Fee, I’m Uncle Tho’in!” 

Fíli had to smile as he watched little Kíli run around the room with a blanket draped over his shoulders as a cape. Wooden sword in hand, Kíli slashed gallantly at invisible enemies. 

“Who are you fighting, King Oakenshield?” Fíli asked, raising an eyebrow at him. 

Kíli considered, brows furrowing. “Fifty twillion orcs,” he announced after a moment.

Fíli nodded, face serious. “Fifty twillion is a lot,” he said solemnly, gently teasing Kíli’s pronunciation, which was altered by his two missing front teeth. 

Kíli frowned at him and puffed out his chest. “You’d best not mock th’ king, peasant, or I’ll fight t’ th’ death with you!” 

“You’re too busy with those orcs,” Fíli pointed out. His eyes went wide, and he pointed in mock horror. “Behind you, king!”

Kíli whirled to stab the imaginary orc, and that was when Fíli sprang. He grabbed Kíli around the waist and pulled him to the floor. Kíli’s sword clattered away as Fíli mercilessly began tickling his brother.

“Ah! Fee!” Kíli squealed, wriggling beneath him. After a while of struggling with Kíli, Fíli stood.

“I’ve defeated the king!” Fíli cheered, purposely allowing Kíli time to pick up his sword.

“No, you haven’t!” Kíli cried, and slashed his brother in the gut with what would be a killing blow. Fíli clutched his stomach and fell over, tongue hanging out the side of his mouth, which sent Kíli into fits of giggles. As he sat up, Fíli felt a swell of love for his little Dwarfling brother. A love that would always be steadfast, even if they had to face fifty twillion orcs.


	2. Balin & Dwalin - Learning to Swim

“...Now just hold on to me, Dwalin. Not so tight, that hurts my arms.”

Balin felt Dwalin tremble as they entered the lake, and yet he tolerantly held his little brother so he didn’t sink. It had taken every kind of persuasion Balin knew of to get Dwalin to agree to this; Balin planned to make it last. 

“It’s cold,” Dwalin quavered, starting to shrink back. 

“Once you start swimming it will get warmer,” Balin answered patiently, tightening his grip on Dwalin’s arms to stay him. Gently Balin continued to draw Dwalin farther into the water. Balin tried to ignore the fear and panic in his brother’s silver eyes; Dwalin needed to do this. He needed to overcome this fear that had tortured him for so long.

It’s a strange thing, Balin thought to himself. He’s fearless about almost everything, except the water. 

“It’s really deep,” Dwalin gulped. 

“Not that deep,” Balin lied. He was standing on his tiptoes in order to keep his head fully above the water. “Trust me, brother. I won’t drop you.” 

Dwalin pressed his lips into a thin line and allowed Balin to pull him forward into the deeper water. After many long moments, Balin decided it was time. 

“I’m going to let you try on your own now.”

Dwalin paled. “But—”

“You can do it.”

At last, Dwalin gave an infinitesimal nod. Balin slowly drew away, and Dwalin frantically kicked and splashed his arms, barely managing to stay above the surface. When he wearied, Dwalin lunged and threw his arms around Balin’s neck.

“Good!” Balin praised him. “That’s very good!” Dwalin managed a small grin. “Now,” Balin added, raising an eyebrow. “What say you learn to float?”


	3. Oin and Gloin - Latenight Storytelling

“...and then the Dwarves heard something rustling,” Óin announced in a hushed voice.

Glóin’s eyes were round. “Rustling?” he echoed. “What was it?!”

“Well, when they turned around and shone their lantern into the bushes behind them—a warg burst out of the trees!” Óin yelled, hurdling forward. “ROOARRR!!” he bellowed.

Glóin screamed and leapt back, and Óin fell onto his back, bursting into laughter. Glóin instantly scowled, crossing his arms and pouting.

“It’s not funny,” he snapped.

“I thought it was,” Óin gasped between peals of laughter. “Oh, that was great.”

The door opened at that moment. “That was the last story,” Ama said sternly. “Now go to sleep.”

“Yes, Ama,” the brothers chorused, crawling onto their beds. Óin blew out the candle on the dresser and Ama closed the door with a quiet click.

Many long moments past. As Óin lay there, he had a brilliant idea. Grinning, he began to hum softly.

“Quiet, Óin,” Glóin muttered. “I can’t sleep with your droning.”

Ignoring his little brother, Óin inwardly snickered, and then began to sing in a low, eerie voice. “It’s all dark and creepy...Glóiiinn...” He drew out his brother’s name in a haunting fashion.

“Óin...stop it...” Glóin whispered.

“It’s all dark and creepy...”

“Óin!”

“Alright, alright,” Óin sighed disappointedly. There was a long moment of silence, and then suddenly his bed rocked violently back and forth as Glóin leapt down on top of him. This time Óin was the one to scream and Glóin whooped triumphantly. For a moment Óin was angry and then at last he let himself laugh along.

Over the next few weeks, if their Ama listened very carefully, sometimes at night she would hear a strange song: “It’s all dark and creepy...”


	4. Thrain/Malyan - Naming

Prince Thráin sat by his wife’s bed, hands clasped tightly together as he rocked tensely back and forth. Malyan’s agonized outbursts didn’t help with his anxiety.

“You know, love,” Malyan ground out through clenched teeth, “this babe certainly takes after you in stubbornness! It’s been nearly eighteen hours! How much longer—?!”

The question had no need to be asked, for suddenly Hifur, one of the royal doctors, exclaimed in delight.

“Oh, Your Majesties, he’s a handsome one!”

This was followed by a chain of startled sobs. Hifur was beaming as he seized a blanket and maneuvered it beneath the baby’s small body.

“ _‘He’_?” Thráin echoed, leaping to his feet.

Hifur laughed. “Aye, that’s what I said.” Carefully he held out the bundle in his arms. Thráin tucked the little boy into the crook of his elbow, laughing breathlessly.

“Malyan, he’s...he’s...so beautiful.”

“What’ll we call him?” Malyan panted out, wiping her sweaty forehead against her forearm.

The baby gurgled at his mother’s voice, smiling toothlessly as he reached up and yanked on Thráin’s beard. The Prince yelped, jumping a little, and making the little one giggle.

“He’s daring,” Malyan laughed. “We can call him Thorin.”


	5. Samwise & The Dwarves - Cliffhanger

The light of dawn was sneaking into the sky high above the grassy lands of the Shire. Few were awake, aside from a few animals, the occasional farmer, and Samwise Gamgee.

Sam sat on a gnarly wooden bench, breathing in the scent of the foliage surrounding him. His breathing was unsteady. It had been excruciatingly difficult for him to bring out the item in his hands, but he’d needed to do it. He’d needed to face the past.

Sam wasn’t doing _exactly_ that; he was just to the right and in front of the past. Still, it was there—in the form of a large green door locked in front of his Hobbit hole, and in the form of the worn Red Book he held.

_“The last pages are for you, Sam.”_

But what could he write? The Shire was no place of adventure, that was for certain. Whatever was to be inked in the last part of the Red Book had to be worthy. He surely couldn’t write about his being the mayor. That was simply a drabble. He needed something robust and sturdy, something that held its own in these precious histories.

With a loaded sigh Sam flipped open the book. He looked down and saw that he’d landed on Bilbo’s descriptions of the Dwarves in Thorin’s Company. Even though he practically knew the words by heart, Sam scanned them again.

_...Dwalin terrified me most of all. His name itself gave me chills, and it wasn’t even his true Dwarvish one! He was a massive fellow, taller and broader than all the rest..._

_...I got along fairly well with Dori. He was one of the homelier Dwarves, having an affinity for tea and comfort, and that was something I understood. He was one with whom I could lament..._

_...Soon I realized that Nori was sneakier than even the worst of Hobbitlings. He could swipe anything from my pocket at any time and I wouldn’t know it until hours later..._

_...Glóin was a father, a proud one. He made no attempt to hide this fact from me, boasting day and night about his gorgeous wife and witty son. He even made me a little jealous..._

_...I doubt anyone in the Company was kinder or more loyal to family than Bofur. His brother and cousin were his absolute main priority. He seemed to care for me as well, despite his early jests..._

_...I’d not seen anyone who relished food more, not even a Hobbit. When he arrived at my hole, Bombur was at least thrice the size of Fatty Bolger! He didn’t even know what a diet was..._

_...Bifur was a strange fellow, often ignoring everything in order to stare at nothing. The axe in his head was an oppression to him, I could tell. There was an ever-present yoke in his eyes..._

At last Sam rose to his feet, tucking the book under his arm. He needed to eat breakfast and then go to the office.

Many hours later, as dusk settled down on Hobbiton, the doorbell rang. Sam startled awake from a light doze at the noise and quickly kept the Red Book from falling off his knee.

“Sam, dear, would you get that?” Rosie called from the kitchen.

Standing from his easy chair, Sam strode down the hall, skirting past his daughter playing on the floor, and grasped the door handle. When it opened, Sam’s eyebrows rose. Six Dwarves, standing in a group on his doorstep.

The one nearest to the door greeted Sam gruffly. “Good evenin’.”

Sam nodded apprehensively. “Same to you, sirs. I’m Mr. Sam Gamgee. Can I help you, perhaps?”

The Dwarf who’d spoken nodded briskly in affirmation, but didn’t specify exactly what they needed help with.

One of the others rolled his eyes and shoved past so he could see Sam clearly. “We’re fairly certain this is the house of Bilbo Baggins. Are you his guest tonight? Where is he? Is he at the market?”

Sam’s first thought was, _Why would someone go to market at this hour?_ Then he realized something astonishing. The Dwarf had sounded almost exactly like Gimli! Sam squinted a bit at this Dwarf, who gazed patiently back. Stocky build, long bushy hair, and a graying beard plaited close to his cheeks. Sam’s wide eyes raced to the others.

One, mostly bald, with faint tattoos scarring his crown and temples. Near the base of his skull began long wisps of pale white hair resting on his shoulders.

Another, with white hair done up meticulously in many braids that wove over and under each other in a fascinating maze.

Another, auburn hair tinted gray, standing in three peaks that joined in a braid behind his neck.

Another, chestnut brown hair pulled into three thick braids and a floppy, cockeyed hat perched above.

Another, wild black and white hair and an axe blade jutting from his skull.

“Oi, did you not hear the question, mate?” asked the auburn-haired one sharply. “Where’s Bilbo Baggins?”

Sam gaped at him, stammering, “N-Nori!”

The Dwarf took a step back. “What? How d’you know my name?”

“Bilbo...you want Bilbo?”

“That’s what we said, is it not?” Dwalin growled, sounding like a wolf more than a Dwarf.

Sam glanced nervously at him and continued, “Bilbo’s not here. He’s gone.”

Bofur’s brows knit. “What d’ye mean, lad?”

“Did he go on another adventure without us?” Glóin gasped.

At this the group began muttering in swift tones to each other, but Sam stopped this soon enough. “Listen to me! It’s true, Bilbo isn’t here, but—”

“Is he out on an errand or something?” Dori asked hesitantly.

“No, no! He’s _gone_! For good!”

The Dwarves’ weather-worn faces visibly paled.

=====

“For good?” Nori echoed breathlessly. Sam nodded slowly.

“But...how?” Bofur stammered.

Glóin was aghast. “I—I don’t even remember the last thing I said to him...”

“You said,” Dwalin cut in huskily, “‘Safe journey, Bilbo. We’ll be sure to write.’”

“...We never did,” Dori whispered tremulously.

“ _Birashagimi?_ ” Bifur faltered, uncomprehending.

Bofur, his face pained, began signing with his hands. Bifur’s eyes grew rounder as Bofur continued, and at last Bofur dropped his hands. Bifur shook his head in violent denial.

“ _Mênu ahyrun!_ ” he railed furiously at his cousin.

“Bifur,” Bofur implored. “Please—”

“ _Bushg sanuikhf isimun filhâk! Filhâk-u-demup, filhâk-u-khiluz!_ ” Bifur blasted, his voice echoing in waves through the night.

“Calm yourself!” Dwalin ordered, grasping the other’s shoulder. Bifur clenched his teeth and pulled roughly away from Dwalin, snarling like a cornered animal.

“ _Nê,_ _nê! Mênu rasp ori!_ _Izbad-u-ahyrun!_ ”

Each Dwarf immediately erupted into shouting, trying to speak over each other. Then a voice with a higher pitch echoed from the house.

“By the fays and the Party Tree, what’s all the noise, Samwise?!” Rose called in consternation. An infant wail followed her question and the Dwarves fell silent.

Sam glanced over his shoulder, and then back at his famous visitors. “Uh...Come inside, all of you, while I tend to my children.”

The Dwarves filed after him in single file. Sam took the babe from Rosie and held him against his chest as he watched his guests sit in the chairs of the living room. Rosie stared at them but didn’t ask questions, slipping away into the kitchen with the other four children.

After a long while of tense silence Nori offered edgily, “Nice young’un you’ve got there.”

“His name is Pippin,” Sam answered uneasily. Before he could think he blurted, “You want to hold him?”

Nori’s eyes widened. “You...you’d let me?”

Sam approached him slowly, holding Pippin toward the Dwarf. Hesitantly Nori maneuvered his arms beneath the child. As soon as he left his father’s arms, Pippin began to writhe, fussing uncomfortably. Nori looked horrified as the baby began whimpering, which obviously would lead to tears and screaming.

“Hush, now,” Nori told Pippin, his voice taking on a desperate, helpless edge. “Hush...”

Dori spoke up authoritatively. “Sing him something, Nori. That always helped you when you were that age.”

Nori gulped and began spluttering in an unsure voice, “Be still, young warrior, stop the time of mourning...”

Bifur echoed Nori in a quiet tone nothing like the one he’d used outside. “ _Atkât, azaghâlith, ikhuzh adùruth..._ ”

“Rest ever well, for yesterday is past. The return of joy will be greater than words.”

“ _Hurun imun gamut, natu yamez natu. Hôfukugûn natusigim bundul_.”

Little Pippin listened attentively, his sobs fading into nothingness. Reaching up, he curled his tiny fingers into Nori’s beard. The Dwarf stiffened slightly and discontinued the song, but he didn’t stop the lad. Dori nodded approvingly at his brother.

Bofur’s expression was grim. “Master Samwise, could ye tell us what...what happened t’ Bilbo?”

“How did he die?” Dwalin asked gravely.

Sam shook his head. “He didn’t.”

Dori cocked his head. “You’re spinning a very confusing tale, Mister Gamgee. You say Bilbo’s gone for good and yet you say he hasn’t died?”

“No, he hasn’t died—he left.”

“Where did he go?” Glóin demanded.

Sam pursed his lips. “Do you all know of the Gray Havens?”

“Vaguely,” Dori confirmed.

“He’s gone there,” Sam explained. “The Ring became too much for him...He needed to go.”

“‘The Ring’?” Dori echoed. “What...what Ring?”


	6. Nori & Dori - Relief

Nori efficiently slit an Orc's throat, calling out in Dori's general direction, "We're winnin', Dor'!"

"Aye!" Dori agreed. "The eagles arrived just in t— _agh!_ " His words ended in a terrible cry of pain. Nori whirled, his eyes and mouth opening in horrified disbelief as he saw the edge of a blade protruding from his brother's chest. The Orc behind Dori snarled triumphantly, yanking the sword back violently and widening the deep gouge in Dori's body. He crumpled instantly and Nori screamed. 

"Dori!" Bellowing curses in Khuzdul, he charged, tackling the Orc and bringing his dagger down into its head until all that was left was a disgusting brain soup inside the broken skull. Gasping in alarm, Nori turned around and scooped up Dori, cradling his limp form.

"Dori. Wake up," he pleaded. 

Dori convulsed suddenly, coughing out a gush of dark blood. Nori swallowed bile of his own, as well as a large lump of tears.

"Nori..." Dori mumbled.

"Yeh, I'm here," Nori comforted him, hugging him close and pressing a hand against the back wound to hinder the bleeding. _He's not gonna die, he's_ not _gonna die..._

"Is this what dying feels like?" Dori asked faintly, as though reading Nori’s mind. "I...thought there was supposed to be a light somewhere...maybe I'm just too tired to find it—" He coughed harshly once more, making Nori cringe.

"Dori," he cut in anxiously, "you're not dying."

"Oh, face the facts," Dori snapped without anything near his usual bluster. "Not even Oin can treat this." He panted for a few moments before whispering, "Nori, p-promise you'll take...take care of Ori."

"You can take care of him yourself," Nori insisted.

Dori shook his head, making a sound that sounded like a light laugh but in reality was an agonized gasp. "No. It's...it's time I let you...grow up." His voice broke on the last word.

Nori was desperate now. "Dori, please!" he choked out. "I can't live without you! I...I...love you."

Dori caught his hand and squeezed it firmly. "Nori," he whispered, smiling reassuringly even as his eyes sparkled with tears of growing pain, "Oh, Nori, you're going to make...a _great_  big brother." 

Dori's smile faded with the light from his eyes. Nori's gasp turned into a sob and he shook him. "Dori! No, no, NO! _NOOOO!_ " Nori lifted his head and wailed, cradling his brother's body and rocking back and forth, insensible with grief. Three arrows caught him in the back suddenly, sharply, and Nori slumped over, almost relieved.


	7. Balin & Dwalin - Growing Up

"Bali! Do the hand thing with me!"

Balin looked away from his schoolwork and down at little Dwalin, who had latched onto the edge of his tunic with one hand and was holding the other one up to him eagerly. Laughing gently, Balin pushed his chair away from his desk slightly and pulled Dwalin up into his lap.

"Let's see how you've grown today, then," he suggested, tickling his little brother's chin. Dwalin giggled and squirmed, protesting against Balin's adept tickling fingers.

"Bali, Bali, stop it!" he squealed, squirming until his back was curved against the desk's edge.

After a few more seconds of torture, Balin relented. "Alright, give me your hand." Dwalin obeyed and Balin spread the little Dwarfling fingers over his own ink-stained palm. "Well, brother," Balin concluded, looking up at Dwalin with a solemn expression, "Your fingers have stopped growing."

Dwalin's eyes went wide in alarm. "What?! B-But Ama said that they would..."

Balin laughed. "Oh, I'm just kidding. They're getting bigger every day." Balin leaned back a little in his chair, sighing wistfully. "The whole of you is."

Dwalin was concerned that his brother was sad about this fact for some reason, so he flung his arms around Balin's neck. "Don't worry, Bali! I'll always fit on your lap!"

"Oh, I doubt that."

Dwalin paused, chewing on his lower lip. "Well, then, what can I do?"

"Just keep growing," Balin requested with a smile. "I like watching. Now let me get back to my papers." Carefully he kissed the tip of his brother's nose and let him slip back onto the ground.

 


	8. Dori & Nori & Ori - Hallows Eve

"This is Âfkidhuzabad, the Gold Mountain Month," Dori grumbled, "and yet they still insist on darkening the skies and children's hearts with this petty...tradition! 'Holiday'...bah! 'Holiday' my sets of tea..."

Nori rolled his eyes at his older brother's complaints as he filled up a basin of water. "Oh, c'mon, it's once a year. Besides, you know you like dressing up in a creepy costume. But then again, you always do that. Who makes your clothes anyway, Dori?"

Dori gasped and grabbed Nori's shoulders, hissing, "Will you lower your voice?! I'll have you know that our own Ori makes my clothing and if he were to hear you say that..." He shook his head, eyes wide. "He'd be scarred."

"Alright, alright, you've made your point," Nori assured him, placing a towel where it would be in easy reach. "Who do you want to look like this year?"

"I think I'll do it simple this year and stay myself," Dori sighed.

Dori. You're not serious. If Ori were to hear you say that, he'd be scarred." Nori smirked.

"I've never liked this whole dressing up thing anyway," Dori retorted, ignoring the use of his own argument against him. "But I guess I'll just add a hat and a vest and be a businessman."

Nori shook his head. "You've got no class. Oh, speakin' of that, I'm goin' slick this year. Got any of that china polish or sommat?"

"China polish?!" Dori sputtered. "For your hair?"

"Yep!" Nori's wide smile was upside down as he dunked his long auburn hair into the basin of water. "It'll make me look classy when I stand next to you. What's Ori gonna be wearin'?"

"Um...this," the youngest Ri replied timidly from the door. Nori and Dori looked up and their mouths fell open.


	9. Bifur & Bombur - Goodnight Prayers

"Bifuh! Will you tuck me in and help me say my prayers?"

Bifur smiled at the sleepy request from his little cousin. "Of course, Bombur." Leaning down, he scooped up the child's form and tucked him against his hip as he walked down the hall toward the bedroom.

Bofur was already asleep, having been exhausted at a playdate earlier in the day. Really, Bifur thought, Dori ought to have kept a closer eye on his little brother...

Tucking that thought away, Bifur settled Bombur down in his nest of blankets and then sat on the edge of the bed, making a show of folding his hands in his lap. Bombur followed suit and started whispering.

"Thanks foh today, Mahal. It was really fun playing with Ori. Thanks foh him too. And...thanks foh Bifuh and Bofuh and me. Please keep giving us food, cos sometimes I get really hungry and I can't find anything."

Bifur's heart lurched, but he remained silent.

"Thanks foh Bifuh and Bofuh again," Bombur added after a pause. "Goodnight."

Bifur lifted his head, looking puzzled. "Bombur, why did you say that part again?"

Bombur smiled widely. "Wheneveh I count my blessings, I count you twice cos that's the best one."

Bifur's eyes were unnaturally bright as he smiled back. "...Thank you." Gently he kissed the top of Bombur's head and then stood.

"Goodnight, Bombur."

"Goodnight."


	10. Fori/Jalane & Dori - Touching

Fori woke suddenly but tried not to startle for the sake of the baby on his chest. Despite his efforts, Dori stirred, so Fori sat up and repositioned him, supporting his head in a gentle hand.

"Hello again," he murmured. "How was that nap, eh?"

Dori smiled toothlessly at his father's voice and Fori whispered tenderly, "Aye, that's my boy." He looked up as his wife entered the room and turned Dori around on his knee. "And who's that? Is that Ama?"

Dori cooed softly and Fori grinned, nodding as if he understood his son's speech. "That's right, it's not just her standin' there, that's your little sibling too. How're you doin', sweetheart?" he added as Jalane sat down heavily across from him.

"I feel like I'm ready to pop," Jalane laughed slightly. "But it's not an unfamiliar feeling, so I'm doing okay."

"And how's the little one?" Fori finished.

"He's restless," Jalane replied, tensing a bit. "He keeps trying to get his feet in my ribs."

Fori moved forward, his right hand supporting Dori's body against his shoulder and the left hesitantly reaching out. "May I...?"

"He might kick you."

"Oh, he won't," Fori scoffed. "He knows his favorite parent when he feels him."

Jalane glared even as she let her husband remain in his fantasy. Fori gently touched his wife's middle, smiling a little. "Ah, there he is."

Dori tried to turn around and Fori helped him, asking, "You want to feel him, Dori? Here..." Carefully coaxing his firstborn's hand out, he laid it down. There was a moment of curious silence and then Dori startled, his expression one of utter confusion when he felt the kick. Whimpering, he recoiled and buried his face in Fori's neck.

"Aww, I'm sorry, Dori," Fori soothed, rubbing his back. "Your naughty sibling won't upset you again, I promise."

Jalane winced as she felt a familiar little foot dig into her ribs. "I'm not so sure about that..."


	11. Nori & Bofur - Unsafe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based off "For the First Time in Forever Reprise" from Frozen. In this AU, Bofur is one of the Blue Wizards.

"I'm just tryin' t' protect ye," Bofur said fearfully, tucking his hands away as though they were summoning some kind of danger without his knowledge.

Nori sputtered incredulously. "You don't have to protect me! I'm not afraid."

Saying nothing, Bofur ran. Nori went after him, calling fiercely, "Don't you dare shut me out again; stop closin' all these doors! You don't have to keep your distance anymore! Just listen to me, Bofur, I finally understand! Now that you're not alone, we can fix this, make a stand! Come back to the Mountain with me! You won't have be so feared, cos now you're not alone; I will be right here!"

"Nori..." Bofur turned to face him, eyes filled with emotion that Nori couldn't read. "Please go back home. Yer life awaits! Keep stealin' an' drinkin' an' singin' with yer _other_ mates!"

"Yeh, but—"

"I know ye mean well, but leave me be!" Bofur cut in, waving him away. "Sure, I'm alone, but I'm alone an' free! Just...stay away an' ye'll be safe from me."

Nori screwed up his courage and muttered, "Actually, we're not."

"What d'ye mean, ye're not?" Bofur's tone was wary.

"I get the feelin' you don't know..."

"What do I not know?"

Nori winced. "Erabor's in deep, deep, deep, deep stone."

Bofur gaped at him. "What?" His voice was a whisper.

"You kind of set off a rockslide," Nori admitted. "A big one."

"A _big_ one?" Bofur repeated, horrified.

"It's okay," Nori backpedaled quickly. "You can just reverse it."

"No, I can't!" Bofur sputtered, eyes fixed on his faintly glowing fingerless mittens. "I don't know how!"

"Sure you can!" Nori urged. "I know you can!" Moving forward cautiously, he encouraged, "Cos now you're not alone..."

"Oh, I'm such a fool," Bofur whispered, turning away as strange light began crawling through the walls and floor. "I can't be free..."

"You don't have to be afraid..."

"No escape from th' storm inside me!"

"We can work this out together..."

"I can't control th' curse!"

"We'll reverse the slide you made—"

"Nori, please, ye'll only make it worse!"

"Don't panic—"

"There's so much fear!"

"We'll make the sun shine bright—"

"Ye're not safe here!"

"We can face this thing together. We can change this thing together..."

"No, no, no! I...I... _I can't!_ " The terrified cry burst out of the Wizard, echoing with a wave of magic that sent Nori rolling to the ground, grunting in pain as the light stunned him. Bofur turned, slapping a hand over his mouth when he saw his friend curled up on the floor, teeth clenched in agony.

"Nori!" a faint voice called. Dori and Ori were there suddenly, helping Nori back to his feet. "Are you okay?" Dori asked in concern.

"I-I'm okay," Nori panted, narrowing his eyes at Bofur. "I'm fine."

"How did ye get Dori an' Ori here—?" Bofur started and then threw his hands in the air. "Wait, it doesn't matter. Just go."

"No!" Nori insisted. "We can figure this out!"

"How?" Bofur demanded. "What power d'ye have t' stop what I've done?! T' stop _me_?!" The room was swiftly darkening with shadows, even though there was no light to cast them.

"Nori," Ori whispered, "I think we should go."

"No," Nori repeated, struggling against their arms toward Bofur. "I'm not leavin' without you, Bofur!"

Bofur hesitated for a single second before spreading his shining fingers toward them. "...Yes. Ye are."


	12. Dwalin & Thorin - Bootcamp

"The end result of all this training better make up for all the hair I lost," a familiar voice mumbled.

Drill-Sergeant Dwalin Fundinul whirled, barking, "What was that, Foriul?!"

"Nothing, Drill-Sergeant!" Nori Foriul shouted, matching his tone and visibly trying not to smile. Dwalin knew that this was unacceptable.

"Get that smirk off your face, Foriul, before your face gets on the ground in two-hundred pushups and sit-ups!"

Nori visibly struggled to get his expression under control, but Dwalin wasn't going to give him any mercy. "Too late! Ground, all of you. Give me two-hundred!"

Dwalin watched grimly as the soldiers lay down and began their torture. "Great job, Nori," another one growled in a barely audible tone for fear Dwalin would hear. He did.

"The only words out of your mouth right now, Broadbeam, should be 'one, two, three, four' and so on, understand?!"

"Yes, Drill-Sergeant!" Bofur Broadbeam hollered.

"Don't 'Yes, Drill-Sergeant' me!" Dwalin bellowed. "Start counting! You'd better be done by the time I get back!"

As he stalked away, Dwalin was joined by Drill-Sergeant Durin, a good friend of his. "How are yours doing, Thorin?" he muttered under his breath.

"Which ones?" Thorin's expression was one of patience worn thin. Very thin.

"All of them."

"They're a bunch of gits," Thorin sighed, shaking his head angrily. "One of them, Foriul, he's a mouse. He goes this sickly white if I even turn my head toward the person next to him. I don't know how he even got here."

"Really? I have a Foriul too. He's a sassy brat who doesn't know the meaning of respect," Dwalin spat.

"Brothers, probably," Thorin mused before changing the subject abruptly. "You wouldn't happen to have a Broadbeam, would you?"

Dwalin paused, knowing that tone. "Yeah...two of them: the brunette and the ginger. Why?"

"Hm. It's just that I trained their cousin. You know, the one who got the headshot in Iraq."

"Oh." Dwalin sighed deeply. "I wouldn't mind letting you have them if you let me have your nephews."

Thorin shook his head vigorously. "No, you don't want them. Fíli and Kíli..." He grimaced. "Durin and Durin. They know nothing of the world."

"Even that'd be better than Foriul," Dwalin mumbled. "I think he knows _too_ much."

Thorin laughed briefly. "That I can understand. This one, Gróinul, he's the superstitious type, muttering about portents and all that. I think he's half-deaf too...shouts louder than all the rest."

"He can't shout louder than Smaug," Dwalin disagreed immediately. "He's one of mine...a real dragon, he is."


	13. Bofur & Bombur - Words

"Don't tease m' brother!" Bofur shouted, tucking Bombur's head into the curve of his neck and glaring venomously at the children surrounding them.

"Or what?" one of them countered smugly.

Bofur didn't even need to think of what he'd do; he'd been planning this moment for a while now. Guiding Bombur behind him, he shouted,

"I'll bolt yer mouths shut, don't think I won't! M' adad's got a mattock that'd make fine work o' that!"

The smirks froze on their faces and everyone took a step back. Bofur nodded approvingly, eyes dark.

"Get off," he growled through clenched teeth. The two words sent the boys scurrying away to their separate houses, the doors slamming after them.

"Bofuh," Bombur whispered as Bofur grabbed his hand and began leading him to their own home, "you...you wouldn't really do that, would you? Bolt their mouths shut?"

"O'course not."

"But the way you said it...scared me."

Bofur paused, giving his brother a sideways glance. "I'm sorry," he started uncomfortably. "I only meant t' scare them, not ye." He sighed regretfully. "Words are a tricky thing..."


	14. Dis/Dwalin - Hitchhiking

Dís didn't really know why she had done it, but when she had seen the burly mountain man standing by the side of the road with a blank expression on his face and one meaty arm sticking out far enough to clip a car's side-mirror, she had rolled down her window and asked if he needed a ride.

"Kinda obvious, isn't it?" he had mumbled. It had made Dís laugh for some reason.

"C'mon," she invited, unlocking the passenger door.

It wasn't a good idea, she knew. He was a stranger who could easily overpower her and steal everything she had if he chose, but she felt she needed to help him out.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Dwalin," he said shortly.

"I'm Dís. Hey, are you hungry?"

A pause. "...Yeh."

"Me too. I had this really long business meeting earlier and I was running late," Dís explained. "It was my sons' faults, really; they made a huge mess. I'm kind of OCD about my living room, which totally doesn't help when it comes to them. They've probably already wrecked everything again." As she turned into an In-n-Out drive-thru, Dís laughed wryly. "I don't know why I'm telling you all this."

Dwalin shrugged his broad shoulders. "I don't either."

"I hope you don't mind."

"You're getting me food, so I won't complain."

Dís nodded approvingly. "We can take it back to my house if you want."

Dwalin blinked. "Won't your husband disapprove?"

"...No," Dís said softly after a long pause. "He died a few years back." As Dwalin mulled this over, Dís leaned out the window and began telling the worker their order.

 

Dwalin had to duck to avoid knocking his head against the doorframe. He took in the surroundings with a critical eye and Dís hoped he wasn't bothered by the mess that her sons had, just as she'd predicted, restored to the floor.

"Fíli, Kíli!" Dís called. "Where are you?"

Wide blue eyes framed by blonde hair peeked over the back of the couch. "Be quiet, Mama," Fíli whispered. "Kee and I are playing hide-and-seek."

"And I found you!" Kíli squealed as he emerged from the other room and tackled his brother. There were sounds of a muffled struggle behind the couch and then Kíli's head appeared from the side. "Who's that, Mama?" he asked, pointing at Dwalin.

"Stop it, Kíli," Dís scolded. "It's not polite to point."

Despite that, Kíli continued to point until Fíli popped up and saw him too. "Hi," Fíli greeted the man with a smile.

Dwalin nodded brusquely, lifting the bag of fast-food. "Where should I put this?" he asked flatly.

" _In-n-Ouuuut!_ " the boys cried in unison, charging straight for it. Dwalin didn't even flinch as they began climbing up his legs and reaching for the bag. "Did you get us fries?" they asked excitedly.

"Yes, I did," Dís replied, embarrassed. "Please, boys, leave our guest alone..." She gave Dwalin an apologetic look when her sons ignored her request, but he simply returned it with an indulging smile, the first smile she'd seen from him.

Maybe it wasn't coincidence that she had picked up this particular hitchhiker, Dís thought with a returning grin.


	15. Legolas & Gimli - A Request

Legolas had long since made up his mind, working on schematics and ordering the finest, strongest wood for his ship. Everything was in order, except...

The Elf had already lost one friend, Aragon. He didn't want to lose another.

Legolas entered the Glittering Caves cautiously. Even after all these years of visiting, he couldn't help but feel relief that there was no clanging of hammers against the stone. No, the Dwarves considered this place too precious to mine.

"Gimli?" he called, knowing his friend would be somewhere nearby, admiring.

"Ah! Legolas," came the warm response. Gimli approached with a grin and Legolas matched it, clasping his broad shoulders in greeting.

"You're looking well," Legolas said, giving him a once-over.

"As are you," Gimli remarked. "Blonder than when we last met."

Legolas raised an eyebrow. "Is that supposed to be funny?"

Gimli sighed ruefully and shook his head. "Only two blonde Dwarves to be had on this earth, one my cousin Fíli and the other his father. I miss Fíli."

"Where is he?" Legolas asked in bewilderment. He had heard very little of this cousin, due to Gimli's sadness when his name was spoken.

"He is in the Halls of Aulë, waiting for me."

Legolas' chest tightened slightly as he remembered the request he had come here to make. "...Forgive me."

"Bah, it's nothing," Gimli replied immediately, forcing a smile that was a tad too bright. "Let's dine! You're probably hungry after traveling so far."

Legolas walked with him in silence. After a filling meal that (sadly, for Legolas) lacked anything green, Legolas finally got up his courage and said quietly, "Gimli, I'm here to tell you something important."

That got his friend's attention right away. He swallowed uneasily but urged, "Go on."

"I'm going on a journey."

"Oh!" Gimli nodded in relieved understanding. "Perhaps you want me to come with you?"

"That was what I had in mind," Legolas agreed hastily, "but you might not want to..."

"I'll go anywhere with you, _mellon-nîn_ ," Gimli cut in, wincing a moment later when he realized the few Elvish words he'd learned were bleeding through.

"I'm going West," Legolas blurted out.

Gimli blinked. "West to where?"

"I'm going _into the West_ ," Legolas stressed. "Leaving Middle Earth to go to the Far Halls."

Gimli stared at him, silent, for a long moment before clearing his throat awkwardly and muttering, "Why?"

"I do not need to stay." When Gimli started to protest, Legolas held up a hand. "Some may want me to stay, but the time of the Elves is long since over. I and my people are some of the last and even they are beginning to fade, stifled by this world. I _must_ go."

"And..." Gimli was still trying to figure this out. "...You want _me_ to come with you?"

"Yes."

Gimli cursed quietly in his Tongue before demanding, "Can a Dwarf go to the Halls of the Elves?!"

"It has been granted by the Valar."

"How did you even get word to them?"

"Lady Galadriel spoke on your behalf—"

"Galadriel?" Gimli gasped.

Legolas smiled slightly, practically able to see the wheels spinning in his head. "Aye. Not only will you be granted access to the Elven Halls, but you also will be able to cross over from time to time to see the great Aulë and your family. Fíli and the others."

Gimli nodded vigorously, eyes wide with excitement. "How far do we travel?"

"I have built a ship," Legolas said, noting how Gimli grimaced and adding, "that will make for very smooth sailing. As I said, we travel into the West until we reach the Halls."

Gimli slowly pulled out the vial containing three of the flaxen hairs of the Lady of Light. He ran it along his fingers, considering. "Yes. I'll go to the West with you."

Legolas breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, _mellon-nîn!_ You don't know how much this means to me."

"Same to you, lad," Gimli murmured. "The very same to you."


	16. Nori & Cellanar - Sight

"Cellanar...can I ask you a question?" Nori blurted out.

The crime-lord barely looked at or acknowledged him. "Hm."

"How did you lose your eye?"

That made Cellanar stiffen just a little. "A fight. How else?"

"A fight with whom?"

"A...miner. He wanted t' marry m' daughter an' I wouldn't give a blessin'."

Nori hesitated a few minutes before venturing, "Why not?"

"It's none o' yer business!" Cellanar barked, causing Nori to cringe and start backwards toward the ragged rug he used as a bed here in the Underground. Sighing deeply, he curled into a ball and closed his eyes. Just as he was falling asleep, Nori heard Cellanar mutter, "I was afraid he couldn't provide fer her. See, lad, she's been a sickly lass ever since she was born. I wanted her t' marry someone who could make sure she'd get th' treatment needed."

Nori sat up. "So he fought with you?"

"I challenged him t' a duel. I said that as long as I had m' daughter in m' sights, he couldn't marry her. So...he took half o' m' sight. He was goin' t' take th' other eye too, but m' daughter stopped him an' said he'd already made his point."

Nori chewed his lip in confusion. "What was the point?"

"That he was worthy o' m' respect. Lad, if ye ever have children, enjoy th' time ye have with them. Sooner or later ye're gonna need t' let them out o' yer sight. Won't be easy."

"I won't have children," Nori disagreed.

"What about yer little brother, then?"

Nori stiffened. "What about him?" he repeated sharply.

"Ye're gonna need t' let him go someday."

Nori shook his head against the thought of Ori leaving him. "If I do, he'll die."

"Perhaps."

"So I won't let that happen." Unwilling to hear anything more, Nori turned his back on Cellanar and closed his eyes once more.

He almost thought he heard the words "We'll see" before he drifted off.


	17. Nori - Longing

Chaos reigned supreme at Bombur's house as usual. Nori couldn't really expect any less; of course the ten children were happy to see their "Uncles Ri" after many months spent on a holiday. Dori and Ori were clearly glad to be back, but Nori's feet were still itching slightly. The trip had been short in his walking standards, but he wouldn't tell his brothers that. He'd simply have to slip away quietly when no one was looking.

That would be difficult, Nori realized immediately as three of the ten Dwarflings bore him to the ground. "Agh, Dori, Ori, save me!" he wailed in mock anguish, flailing about on the ground. "I'll never be able to walk again!"

Dori and Ori either weren't interested in saving him or couldn't - they each had a trio of children clambering all over them, two hanging off their arms like coats and one riding their shoulders. Nori played dead for a moment or two to make the kids laugh and then sat up, peeling them off one at a time.

"Oh! Dori, Nori, Ori, I'm so sorry!" Bombur cried as he squeezed out the front door into the yard where they were. "Kids, please...!" His plea trailed off when he realized none of his younglings were paying any attention to him. Planting his hands on his wide hips, Bombur drew in a huge breath and shouted their names in order from eldest to youngest: "Udeva, Bifra, Daisou, Berif, Borbur, Dalfurn, Béfalei, Dali, Bofenge, and Dogan! Back in the house!"

All the Dwarflings froze for a single moment, recognizing their father's use of _that_ tone. Then they were all pushing past him, struggling to get in the house first so they wouldn't be the one caught straggling and get spanked. Bombur's stern expression crumbled into an affectionate smile as soon as he was sure the children wouldn't see.

"Again, I'm sorry," he apologized, holding out a hand for Nori to take.

"Psh, it's fine," Nori assured him with a grin. "You should stop apologizin', cos by now it's just a formality."

Bombur flushed but shrugged and laughed. "I guess so."

Once he was finished smoothing down his clothing, Dori asked, "Where's Daloa?"

"Right here!" Bombur's wife panted as she popped up next to her husband. "It took me a bit to get through the stampede."

As Dori and Ori warmly greeted the Dwarrowdam, Nori found his gaze fixed upon the baby she cradled in one arm, Bombur and Daloa's eleventh and newest child. Her little feet were hanging over her mother's elbow and before Nori knew what he was doing he'd leaned forward and gently brushed a finger against one of the soles. The baby squirmed and giggled and Nori suddenly heard nothing else. It was as though he were being transported back in time -

"Nori, are you joining us?" Dori asked, resting a hand on his shoulder.

Blinking back into the present, Nori nodded. "'Course I am!" he agreed with a laugh, striding after Bombur's disappearing form.

"Hey, how are ye, Nori?" Bofur greeted Nori cheerfully, lifting a mug to toast his arrival.

"I'll be even better once you introduce me to your new mate," Nori declared, jealously eyeing the ale.

Almost before he had finished speaking, an identical mug was being plunked into his hands. Nori looked up in surprise to see Bifur, who grunted knowingly and was off again with the children before Nori could thank him. Nori sipped at the drink but found his attention diverted to his younger brother.

"Have you all be practicing with your slingshots?" he asked, kneeling in front of Berif, Dalfurn, and Dali.

The three nodded excitedly, Dali fishing around in his pockets. "I wanna show you!" he proclaimed, pulling out his slingshot and a pebble to load.

"Ah-ah-ah," Ori stopped him hastily. "Let's go _outside_."

Nori watched him take whichever hands were shoved at him first and pull them away. A sense of nostalgia surprised him as he recalled when he had been the one taking Ori's little hand in his and running outside to practice with slingshots, jump in rain puddles, or get the ingredients for their secret potato chip recipe.

 _I miss having a little kid in my life_.

The thought startled him almost more than the nostalgia did, but Bofur interrupted before he could think it through. "Oi, mate, th' carbonation in yer ale is fizzlin' out."

"Oh, can't have that," Nori agreed, downing the mug swiftly and leaving his head awoosh. Perhaps that was why he didn't consider his previous thought again until later that night as he and his brothers were helping cart all of Bombur's sleeping children to their cots.

Dori and Nori returned to the living room before the others, having gotten away with only putting two children each in their rooms. "Dori," Nori burst out as soon as he was sure they were alone. "I...I think somethin' is wrong with me."

Dori's eyebrows arched. "What do you mean?" he asked in concern, moving forward and pressing a hand to Nori's cheek before Nori could stop him. "Are you sick?"

Scoffing, Nori brushed his hand away. "No, that's not it. I just...I miss those times when Ori was a little boy. You and I would play with him until he got tired and then we would tuck him in, go out to the living room and talk about whatever, just like this. Remember?"

Dori smiled slightly. "Yes, those are some of my favorite memories. Sometimes I miss it too."

"But I want to do somethin' about it!" Nori pressed. "I...I just don't know what."

Breaking gaze with him, Dori stared absently at the hearth before saying slowly, "I don't know either." From the strangely flat tone his older brother used, Nori suspected he was lying, but the others returned before he could probe any further.

The next day, Nori went to Dori's quarters so he could interrogate him for any advice, but as the door opened and Nori went to go inside, he bumped into a Dwarf woman who was just leaving...


End file.
